Reaction to the destruction of the tombstone of Prime Minister Reza Shah's "Mohammad Ali Foroughi" in Tehran City Council
A member of the Tehran City Council protested in a letter to the mayor of District 20 against the destruction of the tombstone of Mohammad Ali Foroughi, a prominent Iranian writer, journalist, and politician.
IRNA news agency reported on Sunday, September 15, that Majid Farahani, head of the Budget and Oversight Committee of the Islamic City Council of Tehran, called the destruction of Foroughi's tombstone in the Ibn Babawayeh-Rey cemetery "anti-cultural" and demanded that the municipality follow up on the issue.
Mohammad Ali Foroughi, known as Zaka al-Mulk, was born in 1975 into a wealthy, cultured, and influential family. He began his career by teaching in high school and editing the magazine Tarbiat.
Foroughi entered politics after pursuing a career in journalism and was elected to the National Assembly. He went on to serve in the cabinets of Samsam al-Satna, Moshir al-Dawlah, Mostofi al-Mamalik, and Reza Khan.
With the beginning of the Pahlavi dynasty, Mohammad Ali Foroughi became Prime Minister of Reza Shah. After that, he was the Iranian ambassador to Turkey for a while, during which time he established very good relations with Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
He also headed the Iranian delegation to the United Nations. Foroughi read the message of Iranian culture in the form of this verse: "The sons of men are members of each other / As in creation they are of one essence" during the tenth session of the General Assembly of the League of Nations.
His second term as prime minister during the first Pahlavi era was accompanied by cultural initiatives such as the completion of Tehran University, Reza Shah's visit to Türkiye and meeting with Ataturk, and the celebration of Ferdowsi's millennium.
After being removed from the prime ministership, he engaged in literary activities at home and edited the Diwan of famous Iranian poets.
Mohammad Ali Foroughi was appointed Prime Minister by Reza Shah in the last days of his reign, at the same time as the Allies entered Iran, and took charge of managing Iranian affairs and negotiations with foreign countries.
Foroughi finally died of a heart attack in December 1942 at the age of 67.
Source: Voice of America
